Proper stretching techniques and tips for anyone demonstrated by Professional extreme athletes

Posture techniques and tips for optimal movement, flexibility and strength- back stretchers and back massagers are an important key to a resilient and healthy spine. The amazing human body is made up of over 200 bones, 650 muscles, and 1,000,000,000 nerve cells! All of these components communicate with each other. By keeping the posture and diet at its best, we are assisting this coordinated communication. The posture is made up of the spine, hips, shoulders, knees, feet, and even the hands are a part of the posture, as messengers!

There are simple ways to assess the posture; there are even apps for that! Ideally though, the alignment, from side view, passes vertical down through the ear, center of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. Typically, this alignment offers the best arrangement for optimal movement, flexibility and strength with all muscles of the posture properly balanced and tensions properly balanced. Back exercises and stretches for the spine offers postural improvements. Above are a couple links to effective back stretching and massaging tools.

Very few of us have perfect posture. For example, when we simply try to stand up tall and erect, our shoulders may tend to lift. This lifting is a sign of postural imbalance and unawareness while also being very taxing to the neck and upper back muscles. Over time this will affect the strength and longevity of performance. Standing up erect should not look or feel like a struggle. Here are two effective ways to align, erect and regenerate the posture by addressing the thumbs and knees. Simply turn your thumbs forward while your arms hang down by your side. By doing this, the entire arm should naturally turn to allow the chest to open and the shoulders the freedom to comfortably draw back and down and the head to rest back centered over the shoulders. Also, if the knees remain soft (micro bend , not locked back) the entire posture is free to stack and align. Try it. Align your posture with your knees soft then with your knees locked back. There is a difference, right?

Notice Jeff below on the far left. His alignment is easy and natural. His thumbs are forward, knees are soft, and the weight under his feet is level through the ball of the foot and heel. Joey, in the red shirt, is locking his knees back for us to notice how that shifts his feet back on his heels, which can eventually throw off his posture and create eventual issues with his feet. Aaron knows to bend his right knee substantially at times of rest, due to a leg length difference, but he still keeps a soft left knee so his entire posture, especially his hips, are able to level and align. Notice John (far right) and Aaron (wearing shorts) struggle to draw the shoulders down while back. This is due to the continual forward protracted posturing skateboarding has created. They must regularly practice recovery moves for their upper back and shoulder muscles in order to stay resilient and strong. John is creating postural imbalance by leaning forward with his total body weight through the front of his feet. Over time this will create muscular imbalance, fatigue and negatively affect his posture. To relieve and recovery his entire posture, John would simply bring the weight of his stance into the heel and ball of the foot equally while softening the knees. This foot positioning will help his knees stack easier over his feet, his hips to stack over the knees, and the ability to relax his shoulders back and down while his head levels up and back over his shoulders. Postural changes this simple can make a positive difference.